Golf bag

ABSTRACT

A golf bag having a bag body with a receiving space and a top portion and a bottom portion mounted on opposite ends of the bag body. A connecting unit including connecting members is mounted on an external surface of the bag body. A supporting unit having an adjustable length is located in the bag body. When the connecting members are coupled to each other and the length of the supporting unit is reduced, the external surface of the bag body is folded and the size of the golf bag is reduced. Therefore, the volume of the receiving space of the bag body can be adjusted according to articles to be received in the receiving space, and also the size of the golf bag can be adjusted for easy storage or carrying.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to golf bags, and more particularly, to agolf bag having an adjustable size or volume.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] A commercially available golf bag is usually formed integrally asa single rigid body with a fixed size or volume. Such a golf bag, whenempty or only containing a few of articles, would undesirably occupylarge space but cannot be adjusted or reduced in size, thereby leadingto great inconvenience in carrying or storing the golf bag especially ina confined area such as vehicle trunk.

[0003] A conventional golf bag normally has a length of about three feetand a diameter of about one foot and is considered as a large golf bag.With a golf club placed in the bag, the head and part of the shaft ofthe golf club protrudes from the bag, making the total length of the bagincluding the club increased to about four feet. Such a long bag isdifficult to be placed in the vehicle trunk.

[0004] Accordingly, there is a telescopic golf club composed of aplurality of shafts. These shafts are assembled and sleeved with eachother, allowing the length of the golf club to be adjusted by rotatingthe shafts with respect to each other, so as to extend the golf club toan extent suitable for playing golf or shorten the golf club for easystorage. However, there has been no appropriate golf bag provided forthis golf club, which can be flexibly adjusted in size according to thechange of the length of the golf club.

[0005] Therefore, the problem to be solved here is to provide a golf baghaving an adjustable size or volume suiting variably-sized articles tobe received therein.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] An objective of the present invention is to provide a golf bagwhose size or occupied spaced can be reduced for easy carrying andstorage.

[0007] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a golfbag whose volume can be flexibly adjusted if necessary.

[0008] To achieve the above and other objectives, the present inventionproposes a golf bag including a bag body having a receiving space, witha top portion and a bottom portion respectively mounted on opposite endsof the bag body; a connecting unit comprising a set of connectingmembers and mounted on an external surface of the bag body; and asupporting unit located in the receiving space of the bag body tosupport the bag body, the supporting unit having an adjustable length;wherein when the connecting members are coupled to each other and thelength of the supporting unit is reduced, the external surface of thebag body is folded and the size of the golf bag is decreased.

[0009] The connecting members include a zipper slider and correspondingslider tracks on the external surface of the bag body, such that thezipper slider and corresponding slider tracks can be fastened togetherto fold the external surface and reduce the volume of the bag body.

[0010] The supporting unit includes a set of inner tubes and a set ofcorresponding outer tubes, wherein these tubes are inserted in insertionholes formed on the top and bottom portions. The outer tubes are sleevedaround the inner tubes. A clamping member is mounted on each of theouter tubes to fasten each pair of the inner tube and outer tube orrelease the fastening between the corresponding inner tube and outertube.

[0011] The golf bag according to the present invention beneficiallyallows the volume of the receiving space of the bag body to be adjustedaccording to articles that are received in the receiving space, and alsoallows the size of the golf bag to be adjusted for easy storage orcarrying.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The present invention can be more fully understood by reading thefollowing detailed description of the preferred embodiments, withreference made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0013]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the appearance of a golf bagaccording to the present invention;

[0014]FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the interior structure of the golfbag according to the present invention;

[0015]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a clamping member of the golf bagaccording to the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the clamping member of FIG. 3mounted on a supporting unit of the golf bag according to the presentinvention;

[0017]FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the golf bag with a reduced volumeaccording to the present invention; and

[0018]FIG. 6 is a schematic view of the golf bag according to thepresent invention stored in a vehicle trunk.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019]FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 illustrate a golf bag 1 proposed in the presentinvention, which can be used for storing golf clubs. This golf bag 1includes a bag body 10 having a receiving space for receiving articles;a top portion 21 and a bottom portion 22, respectively mounted at thetop and bottom ends of the bag body 10, with a plurality of insertionholes 21 c, 22 c respectively formed on the inner walls of the top andbottom portions 21, 22; a connecting unit 20 mounted on an externalsurface of the bag body 10; a supporting unit 23 comprising a pluralityof inner tubes 231 inserted in the top portion 21 and a plurality ofcorresponding outer tubes 230 inserted in the bottom portion 22, thesupporting unit 23 located in the receiving space to support the bagbody 10; and a clamping member 24 mounted on one end of each outer tube230, for fastening each pair of corresponding inner tube 231 and outertube 230 together and for adjusting the combined length of each pair ofthe fastened inner tube 231 and outer tube 230, so as to alternate thevolume of the receiving space of the bag body 10. Each pair of the innertube 231 and outer tube 230 are fastened in a manner that the outer tube230 is sleeved around the inner tube 231. The connecting unit 20 on theexternal surface of the bag body 10 comprises a set of connectingmembers 20 a, 20 b that can be coupled to each other to allow folding ofthe bag body 10 or can be detached from each other.

[0020] The bag body 10 is made of a flexible material such as soft orstretchable cloth. The top and bottom portions 21, 22 are made of aplastic material for supporting the articles received in the bag body10. The connecting members 20 a, 20 b can be fastened to each other froma location in the middle section of the external surface of the bag body10 to another location where the golf bag 1 and its receiving space arereduced in size. FIG. 1 shows a state before the connecting members 20a, 20 b are fastened to each other, wherein the connecting member 20 ais shown at the location where the fastening begins.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the external surface of the bagbody 10 may be divided into a first surface 101, a second surface 102, athird surface 103 and a fourth surface 104. In this embodiment, theconnecting member 20 a is, for example, a zipper slider, and theconnecting member 20 b comprises, for example, a plurality of slidertracks suitable for the zipper slider 20 a. The connecting unit 20 ismounted on the second surface 102 and the third surface 103 at themiddle section of the external surface. The position where theconnecting member 20 a begins to slide is located at the junctionbetween the second and third surfaces 102, 103. The slider tracks of theconnecting member 20 b are formed diagonally across the second surface102 and the third surface 103, and also respectively at the junctionsbetween the first and second surfaces 101, 102 and between the third andfourth surfaces 103, 104. When the connecting member 20 a slides tofasten with the tracks of the connecting member 20 b on the second andthird surfaces 102, 103, the second surface 102 and the third surface103 can be partially folded up. Then, if the connecting member 20 afurther slides to fasten with the tracks of the connecting member 20 bat the junctions between the first and second surfaces 101, 102 andbetween the third and fourth surfaces 103, 104, the first surface 101and the fourth surface 104 are connected together, and the secondsurface 102 and the third surface 103 would be completely folded andreceived at the inner wall of the bag body 10. As a result, the lengthand volume of the bag body 10 are both reduced.

[0022] The top and bottom portions 21, 22 are mounted respectively onthe top and bottom ends of the bag body 10 and delimit the receivingspace in the bag body 10. The top portion 21 has an opening 21 acommunicating with the receiving space of the bag body, allowing thearticles to be placed through the opening 21 a into the bag body 10. Thebottom portion 22 has a base 22 a for supporting the weight of thearticles contained in the bag body 10. A plurality of first mounts 21 bare formed on the inner wall of the top portion 21, with each of thefirst mounts 21 b having an insertion hole 21 c facing towards thebottom portion 22. Similarly, a plurality of second mounts 22 b areformed on the inner wall of the bottom portion 22, with each of thesecond mounts 22 b having an insertion hole 22 c facing towards the topportion 21. The insertion holes 21 c, 22 c respectively receive theinner tubes 231 and the outer tubes 230 of the supporting unit 23. Oneend of each outer tube 230 is formed with an insertion tip 230 a forinserting the outer tube 230 into the corresponding insertion hole 22 c.The inner tube 231 has a diameter smaller than the outer tube 230 suchthat the inner tube 231 can slidably mounted inside the outer tube 230.By adjusting the position of the inner tube 231 with respect to theouter tube 230, the distance between the top and bottom portions 21, 22can be changed and the size of the bag body 10 bounded by the top andbottom portions 21, 22 is changed accordingly.

[0023] Furthermore, besides the connecting members 20 a, 20 b, theconnecting unit 20 can be further provided with at least one pair ofcoupling members (not shown). The pair of coupling members arerespectively mounted on the first surface and the fourth surface of theexternal surface of the bag body 10. When the second and third surfacesare completely folded and received, the coupling members can be coupledto each other to strengthen the connection between the first surface andthe fourth surface and secure the reduced size of the bag body 10.

[0024] The clamping member 24 is mounted at a position where the outertube 230 sleeves around the inner tube 231, preferably at one end of theouter tube 230 in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 3, the clamping member 24comprises a receptacle 240 and a pivotal hole mount 241. The receptacle240 has an opening 240 a through which the outer tube 230 is inserted. Afirst slot 230 b and a second slot 240 b (in FIG. 4) are formed atpositions where the receptacle 240 is connected to the outer tube 230. Apivotal hole 241 a is formed through the pivotal hole mount 241. Thepivotal hole 241 a is inserted through with a shaft 241 b that isrotatably and pivotally connected to a push bar 242. One end of the pushbar 242 is eccentrically provided with a pressing part 242 a, wherein anouter edge of the pressing part 242 a touches against the slots 230 b,240 b. A pad 243 made of an elastic material is further mounted withinthe outer tube 230, wherein an upper portion of the pad 243 is attachedto a stud 243 a and protrudes from the slots 230 b, 240 b to come intocontact with the pressing part 242 a. When the push bar 242 is rotated,the outer edge of the pressing part 242 a can be moved downwardly andpressed on the stud 243 a to generate a downward pressing force by whichthe pad 243 attached to the stud 243 a is deformed.

[0025] The pad 243 is made of an elastic material and shaped as a ringwith an outer diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of theouter tube 230. Further, the inner diameter of the pad 243 is slightlylarger than the outer diameter of the inner tube 231. Thereby, the pad243 disposed between the inner tube 231 and the outer tube 230 cansecure the inner tube 231 in position with respect to the outer tube230. When rotation of the push bar 242 urges the pressing part 242 aagainst the stud 243 a, the pad 243 is deformed by the downward pressurefrom the stud 243 a and pressed on the inner tube 231 that is thusfirmly held inside the outer tube 230. The top portion 21 and the bottomportion 22 that respectively receive the inner tubes 231 and the outertubes 230 maintain the length of the supporting unit 23, such that thereceiving space of the bag body 10 is defined and held by the top andbottom portions 21, 22.

[0026] The combined length of the inter-sleeved outer and inner tubes230, 231 or the length of supporting unit 23 can be adjusted by rotatingthe push bar 242 to alternate the relative positions of thecorresponding outer and inner tubes 230, 231, thereby making the size ofthe golf bag 1 or the volume of the receiving space flexibly adjustedaccording to the length of the supporting unit 23.

[0027] In particular, the push bar 242 of the clamping member 24 can belifted up to release the contact of the pressing part 242 a from thestud 243 a. The resilient force from restoration of the pad 243 pushesup the stud 243 a to protrude from the slots 230 b, 240 b. At this time,the pad 243 would not be pressed on the inner tube 231, making a userfreely move the inner tube 231 relatively to the outer tube 230, forexample to push the inner tube 231 into the outer tube 230 to reduce thelength of the supporting unit 23 until the inner tube 231 is entirelyreceived in the outer tube 230. As shown in FIG. 5, the connectingmember or zipper slider 20 a of the golf bag 1 can slide along thetracks of the connecting member 20 b across the second surface 102 andthe third surface 103 (FIG. 1) to fold up the second and third surfaces102, 103. The connecting member or zipper slider 20 a may further slidealong the tracks of the connecting member 20 b at the junctions betweenthe first and second surfaces 101, 102 and between the third and fourthsurfaces 103, 104 (FIG. 1) to connect the first and fourth surfaces 101,104 together; this provides a minimized receiving space of the golf bag1 to receive the articles.

[0028]FIG. 6 shows the golf bag 1 according to the present inventioncontaining golf clubs such as telescopic golf clubs. When the golf clubis adjusted in length for example to be extended or shortened, the sizeof the golf bag 1 or the volume of its receiving space can beaccordingly adjusted to be increased or reduced. Therefore, thesize-adjustable golf bag 1 can be flexibly changed in size or volume tocomply with the size of articles to be received in the golf bag 1 andalso for the purpose of easy storage or carrying of the golf bag 1.

[0029] Furthermore, the connecting members 20 a, 20 b of the connectingunit 20 are not limited to the zipper slider and the slider tracks. Itshould be understood that other conventional coupling members for thefastening purpose are also suitably used in the present invention.

[0030] The invention has been described using exemplary preferredembodiments. However, it is to be understood that the scope of theinvention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary,it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements.The scope of the claims, therefore, should be accorded the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similararrangements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A golf bag, comprising: a bag body having areceiving space, with a top portion and a bottom portion respectivelymounted on opposite ends of the bag body; a connecting unit comprising aset of connecting members and mounted on the bag body; and a supportingunit located in the receiving space of the bag body to support the bagbody, the supporting unit having an adjustable length; wherein when theconnecting members are coupled to each other and the length of thesupporting unit is reduced, the bag body is folded and the size of thegolf bag is decreased.
 2. The golf bag of claim 1, wherein theconnecting unit is mounted on an external surface of the bag body. 3.The golf bag of claim 2, wherein the connecting members comprise azipper slider and corresponding slider tracks.
 4. The golf bag of claim3, wherein the zipper slider and the slider tracks are coupled to eachother to fold the external surface of the bag body.
 5. The golf bag ofclaim 1, wherein the supporting unit comprises a set of inner tubes anda set of corresponding outer tubes that are sleeved around the innertubes.
 6. The golf bag of claim 5, wherein the corresponding inner tubesand outer tubes are moved relatively to each other to adjust the lengthof the supporting unit.
 7. The golf bag of claim 5, further comprising aclamping member for fastening each pair of the corresponding inner tubeand outer tube or for releasing the fastening between the correspondinginner tube and outer tube.
 8. The golf bag of claim 7, wherein theclamping member is mounted on the outer tube.
 9. The golf bag of claim5, wherein the top and bottom portions are each formed with a pluralityof insertion holes where the tubes of the supporting unit are inserted.10. The golf bag of claim 5, further comprising a pad made of an elasticmaterial disposed between each pair of the corresponding inner tube andouter tube.
 11. The golf bag of claim 1, wherein the top portion isformed with an opening communicating with the receiving space.
 12. Thegolf bag of claim 1, wherein the bag body is made of a flexiblematerial.
 13. The golf bag of claim 1, wherein the top and bottomportions are made of a plastic material.